The British government faces renewed scrutiny over the nature of its military cooperation with Israel after it emerged that it is spending taxpayers’ money to hire American contractors for surveillance flights over Gaza.
It was revealed last week that aircraft from the Royal Air Force (RAF) have conducted hundreds of surveillance flights over Gaza throughout Israel’s war on the besieged enclave.
Middle East Eye asked the Ministry of Defence (MoD) under the Freedom of Information Act whether it holds video footage taken by RAF planes of two Israeli attacks in Gaza on British citizens or volunteers working for British charities.
The MoD refused to disclose the information, citing national security and defence exemptions.
One of the Israeli strikes MEE asked about killed eight volunteers working for the UK charity Al-Khair Foundation in March as they were setting up tents for displaced Palestinians in northern Gaza’s Beit Lahia.
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At least nine people in total were killed and several more wounded in the attack.
At the time, the British Foreign office declined to condemn the killings in response to a request by MEE.
MEE also asked the MoD whether it holds footage taken by an RAF plane of an Israeli strike in January 2024 which hit a compound housing doctors working for a British charity, just a month after the Israeli military told British counterparts the site had been “de-conflicted”.
The compound in the southern Gaza town of Al-Mawasi held staff from the UK’s Medical Aid for Palestinians (MAP) and the US-based International Rescue Committee (IRC), who were part of an emergency medical team working at nearby Nasser Hospital. Four British doctors in the compound were injured in the attack.
‘What crimes, if any, have we seen?’
The MoD has previously confirmed it holds information gathered by spy planes on Israeli attacks, and has been widely criticised for not disclosing it.
In April this year, the family of British aid worker James Kirby, who was killed by an Israeli drone strike in April 2024, slammed the British government for refusing to release information about the attack gathered by an RAF spy plane.
The UK’s Ministry of Defence (MoD) told The Times it had footage from a RAF spy plane that was flying over Gaza trying to locate Israeli captives on the day of the strike.
‘If hundreds of UK flights have taken place over Gaza, what have we witnessed?’
– Shockat Adam MP
The Kirby family questioned why they were not allowed to be informed about what was filmed.
“I want to know who’s made that decision not to make it public and why they haven’t,” Kirby’s mother Jacqui Kirby said.
In March a debate in parliament saw MPs grill the armed forces minister on the surveillance flights.
“If hundreds of UK flights have taken place over Gaza, what have we witnessed?” independent MP Shockat Adam asked. “What crimes, if any, have we seen?”
He added: “In one year alone, from December 2023 to November 2024, the UK conducted 645 surveillance and recon missions, which amounts to almost two flights a day.”
The minister, Luke Pollard, did not answer Adam’s questions.
This week it also emerged that the British military has begun hiring American contractors to carry out surveillance flights over Gaza for Israel.
UK still sharing intelligence with Israel as surveillance flights over Gaza continue
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An American plane belonging to Straight Flight Nevada Commercial Leasing LLC, an American company and subsidiary of the Sierra Nevada Corporation, flew for three hours over Khan Younis on 28 July, Palestine Deep Dive reported earlier this week.
On Wednesday it was confirmed that the aircraft, registered as N6147U, was used on behalf of the British government.
Its identification was possible due to an extraordinary error: the aircraft did not fully turn off its transponder, meaning it could be tracked flying over southern Gaza.
Ministry of Defence (MoD) sources confirmed to The Times that the British government has paid the Nevada-based company to conduct surveillance flights over Gaza and pass intelligence to Israel.
The MoD has repeatedly insisted surveillance flights over Gaza are in support of “hostage rescue”.
But according to The Times, sources within the MoD “are baffled by the decision to privatise RAF intelligence-gathering tasks to help Israel, questioning why the government hasn’t pulled support after photographs emerged of starving Palestinians.”
A senior military source reportedly said: “Instead of sending a message to Israel that we aren’t going to do surveillance for you, we are happy to hire an American company and pay for it.”
